Doubting

“I remain confident of this: I will see the goodness of the LORD in the land of the living. Wait for the LORD; be strong and take heart and wait for the LORD.” -Psalm 27:13-14

Have you ever struggled with doubting God? Where is your goodness, God? Why did you let bad things happen? When will you come?

Did you know that doubt is a part of the journey? John the Baptist doubted. In prison, he once was filled with certainty but his growing doubts culminated in sending his disciples to ask Jesus the most pointed of questions: “Are you the one who was to come, or should we expect someone else?” -Luke 7:19 Remember He was the “voice in the desert,” the “preparer of the way,” the “baptizer that witnessed the Holy Spirit descend” and he was having second thoughts. Whoa!

I would guess most of us have questioned either God’s love or sovereignty at some point in our Christian walk but we should know better than to doubt. Circumstances we are not prepared for seem to short-circuit the memory of past faithfulness. I only have to look at what happened to Jesus to know that doing good doesn’t protect us from bad things happening to us. In fact, it seems that doing good possibly leads to suffering. I guess most of us would like to think that God is going to favor us if we just believe hard enough and just have enough faith; but looking at the lives of the disciples, Jesus, and those who have really lived the life of faith, whether Christian or otherwise, that doesn’t seem to be the case. God doesn’t call us to do the things that are comfortable. He doesn’t call us to a life that’s laid back or easygoing with just a few obstacles along the way. He calls us to a life of sacrifice.

Before you decide there is no God understand that You may not always be able to see what He’s done for you lately, but what He did once and for all IS the undeniable foundation to build lasting faith on.

“Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding,” -Proverbs 3:5.

Are you wondering why your faith is so weak? “…You of little faith, why do you doubt?” -Matthew 14:31

If your faith is not growing you're not exercising it and nurturing it. If you're not making time to spend in your bible or talking with God of course you will doubt. Faith needs to be exercised and nurtured in order to gain strength. The sustenance for faith comes in the good times and the busy times, not just in the needy and desperate times. If you start to doubt God’s love, promises, faithfulness, or even His very existence, try imagining how it would feel to stand firmly claiming all those things are false.

God is always with you but the problem is you are forgetting to do your part; you're not seeking His face. You keep going on about your busy life, your body, your health, and then suddenly you need comfort, peace, protection or rest. Wonder why you are not getting it.?

God has proven Himself to you time and time again, stop allowing your faith to dwindle and die.

There is great importance in not giving in to doubt because "nothing is too hard for God". Jesus said that "blessed are those that believe without seeing me", so don't let doubt ruin your faith in God and Jesus Christ. Let the grace of Jesus lead you back into the light of all that is true, and all that is certain.

Father God, You know the times I have doubted, and the worries I carry in my heart even now. Make me deaf to Satan’s lies. When he whispers that You have forgotten me, turn me to the cross so I can remember your word says you love me with an everlasting love. When he suggests that my sins are too great or I’ve gone too far and too long, help me to see that Your love and forgiveness stretch further and farther because I know your word says as far as the east is from the west. I know there is nowhere I can go where You are not already there because your word says you go before me. Thank you for being the answers to my doubts, over and over and over again. I love you God because you first loved me and God I ask in the hearts and minds of all those doubting you Lord that you would penetrate their hearts, renew their minds, and grow a desire in them to love you like never before. In Your Mighty Unfailing Name I pray, Amen.